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It all comes down to this. The best players on the PGA Tour -- 29 of them, to be exact -- are set to begin play in the 2022 Tour Championship. Typically meant for the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup, the odd number comes as Will Zalatoris was forced to withdrawal from competition after suffering a back injury in the third round of the BMW Championship.

His absence from competition leaves a glaring hole at the top of the leaderboard as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler begins the week as the top name at 10 under. Only two strokes behind the Masters champion is the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and defending FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay. The two will be paired together in the first round and will bring up the rear at 2:05 p.m. ET.

Cantlay will attempt to accomplish the unthinkable and successfully defend his FedEx Cup crown, and in the process, collect the $18 million grand prize -- which would pair nicely with his $15 million check from last season.

While there is a potential for this to turn into a two-man race, Xander Schauffele will have something to say about the outcome of the FedEx Cup as he starts 6 under. Schauffele has made mincemeat of East Lake in the past boasting a victory, two runners-up and no worse than a T7 finish in his five trips to the Tour Championship.

Schauffele's experience around East Lake should set him up for success and should do the same for previous FedEx Cup champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Young superstars Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland may not possess the experience of their counterparts but will begin their third Tour Championships alongside each other at 12:35 p.m. with ample firepower to make up ground in a blink of an eye.

Here is a look at every starting group for the first round of the 2022 Tour Championship at East Lake, and don't miss Round 1 leaderboard coverage of the Tour Championship. All times Eastern

2022 Tour Championship tee times, Round 1 pairings

11:45 a.m. -- Aaron Wise
11:55 a.m. -- Sahith Theegala, Adam Scott
12:05 p.m. -- K.H. Lee, J.T. Poston
12:15 p.m. -- Corey Conners, Brian Harman
12:25 p.m. -- Billy Horschel, Tom Hoge
12:35 p.m. -- Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa
12:45 p.m. -- Jordan Spieth, Joaquin Niemann
12:55 p.m. -- Max Homa, Hideki Matsuyama
1:05 p.m. -- Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick
1:15 p.m. -- Scott Stallings, Justin Thomas
1:25 p.m. -- Sungjae Im, Jon Rahm
1:35 p.m. -- Tony Finau, Sepp Straka
1:45 p.m. -- Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy
1:55 p.m. -- Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns
2:05 p.m. -- Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay